Athletics

Toledo enters the 2019 spring football season with a combination of proven veterans and younger players looking for a chance to prove themselves.

The Rockets will begin spring drills Wednesday, March 13, with a morning practice at the Fetterman Training Center.

Nate Childress (93) and Jamal Hines (91) are two of the 14 starters returning for the Rockets in 2019.

Fourth-year Head Coach Jason Candle and his staff will begin the process of finding the right mix of players that will give the Rockets the best chance to compete for the Mid-American Conference title next fall.

A total of 14 returning starters are among the 50 letterwinners from last season’s 7-6 squad, seven on offense, five on defense and two special teams players.

If recent history is any indicator, playing time at all positions will be up for grabs right up to kickoff of the Rockets’ season opener at Kentucky Saturday, Aug. 31.

The Rockets will have 14 practices this spring, culminating with an open scrimmage in the Glass Bowl Friday, April 12.

Full-time UT employees and retirees may purchase up to two season tickets at half-price. Additional season tickets may be purchased at the full price. UT students are admitted to home games free with ID.

For more information, go online to the Toledo Rockets’ website, call 419.530.GOLD (4653), or stop by the UT Athletic Ticket Office during business hours.

Senior Kaayla McIntyre and classmate Mikaela Boyd were both recognized Tuesday with the release of the Mid-American Conference all-league squads. McIntyre earned a spot on the second team, while Boyd was an honorable mention all-conference selection.

In addition, McIntyre was named to the All-MAC Defensive Team.

The all-conference squads were determined from voting by the league’s 12 head coaches, while the Specialty Awards were selected by head coaches, athletic communications directors and media members of the conference.

McIntyre collected all-league recognition for a second straight season, while Boyd received post-season laurels for a third consecutive year.

A Toledo native, McIntyre is averaging a team-high 16.4 points, a squad-best 8.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, a team-best 1.6 blocks, and 0.7 steals in 28.8 minutes per game in 2018-19.

The team captain currently leads the league in overall field-goal percentage (.588, 203 of 345, 15th in NCAA), and ranks tied for second in defensive boards (6.1 rebounds per game), tied for fourth in overall rebounding, seventh in scoring, 12th in offensive caroms (2.1 rebounds per game) and 20th in free-throw percentage (.664, 85 of 128).

One of three Rockets to start all 30 games this year, McIntyre has scored in double figures in all but one contest, finishing with a season-high 25 points and a contest-best 15 caroms at Eastern Michigan March 6 to post her squad-best ninth double-double.

In MAC contests, McIntyre tallied 16.9 points per game, a squad-best 9.2 rebounds per game, 1.6 assists per game, a team-best 1.7 blocks per game, and 0.8 steals per game in 29.7 minutes per game.

Along with being named all-conference, McIntyre becomes the second Rocket to be selected to the All-MAC Defensive Team. The three-year starter is currently swatting an impressive 1.6 shots (65th in NCAA) this season, the second-highest mark in the MAC.McIntyre has blocked at least three shots on six occasions in 2018-19, including a season-high five twice, most recently against Ohio Feb. 13.

McIntyre, who graduated in December with a degree in criminal justice, currently sits second in MAC history in career field-goal percentage (.612, 646 of 1,055), as well as ranks second in school annals in rejections (150), fifth in field-goals made (646), eighth in scoring (1,530 points) and total rebounds (788), and 10th in rebounding average (6.4 rebounds per game).

Boyd is contributing 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals in a team-high 32.1 minutes per contest in 2018-19. The two-time team captain currently sits tied for fifth in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.8, 116-64), eighth in offensive boards (2.4 rebounds per game), tied for eighth in helpers, tied for 15th in overall rebounding, 17th in minutes played, and 18th in defensive caroms (3.6 rebounds per game).

One of the league’s most athletic players, the three-time All-MAC selection has scored in double figures on 12 occasions this year, including a season-high 25 points at archrival Bowling Green Jan. 19.

In MAC contests, Boyd tallied 9.5 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game, 3.7 assists per game, and 1.0 steals per game in a team-best 33.6 minutes player per game.

Boyd currently sits ninth in UT annals in career steals (188), tied for 10th in games played (127), and 18th in scoring (1,178).

McIntyre, Boyd and the No. 6 seed Rockets (20-10) will return to action Wednesday, March 13, when they square off against No. 3 seed Miami (22-7) in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. The opening tip is slated for approximately 7 p.m. in Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and will be shown shown on ESPN+.

MAC Tournament tickets can be purchased online at the Toledo Rockets’ website, by calling 419.530.GOLD (4653), or by visiting the ticket office in Savage Arena. Only tickets purchased through the University will be in the Rocket section of Quicken Loans Arena.

The University of Toledo men’s basketball quartet of senior Jaelan Sanford, senior Nate Navigato, sophomore Marreon Jackson and freshman AJ Edu were each recognized Monday with the announcement of the Mid-American Conference all-league squads.

The All-MAC teams were determined from voting by the league’s 12 head coaches.

Sanford earned a spot on the first team, marking the sixth time in the last seven seasons a Rocket has been tabbed as one of the league’s top five players.

Jackson and Navigato were honorable-mention all-conference selections, while Edu earned a spot on the All-MAC Freshman Team. T

he foursome has helped Toledo post a 25-6 overall record, a victory total that ranks second in program history.

A 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard who was a second-team All-MAC honoree last year, Sanford leads the Rockets in scoring with 15.4 points per game and ranks second with 3.1 assists per game, a 1.7 assist/turnover ratio, 69 free throws made, and 83 free throws attempted. He also ranks second in the MAC with an 83.1 free-throw percentage and leads the Rockets with 24 double-digit scoring contests. Sanford has climbed up to sixth place on Toledo’s all-time scoring list with 1,753 points and needs just five points to move into fifth place.

Navigato, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward, is being honored for the first time by the league’s coaches. He ranks second in team scoring with 12.5 points per game and sits atop the MAC with a 45.8 three-point field goal percentage that ranks ninth nationally. Navigato is leading the Rockets for a second straight year with a 3.0 assist/turnover ratio and ranks third on the squad with 2.7 assists per game. Navigato holds UT’s record for three-point field goals in a season (94) and career (303), and is three treys away from tying the conference record for career three-pointers held by Central Michigan’s Josh Kozinski.

A 6-0, 175-pound guard who was a MAC All-Freshman Team member last year, Jackson leads Toledo with 4.3 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game to rank fourth and seventh in the MAC, respectively. He ranks second on the team in scoring in league play with 13.5 points per game and ranked third in conference action with a 40.0 three-point field-goal percentage.

Edu is the fifth Rocket to earn a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team in Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk’s tenure, joining Julius Brown (2011-12), Nathan Boothe (2012-13), Jonathan Williams (2013-14) and Marreon Jackson (2017-18). The 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward paced the conference with 1.9 blocks per game in league play and ranked second in overall contests with 1.8 blocks per game. Edu played in all 31 games this season and was a key producer off the bench with 3.8 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game in 13.9 minutes per game. He ranks third on UT’s season blocked shot list with 55 and swatted away four or more shots on five occasions, including a season-high six vs. Western Michigan (March 5).

Toledo will return to action Thursday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m. in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena when it begins post-season play in the 2019 MAC Tournament quarterfinals against either No. 7 seed Northern Illinois or No. 10 seed Ohio. The Rockets are the No. 2 seed in the tourney and have received a bye in the event in four of the last six years.

MAC Tournament tickets can be purchased online at the Toledo Rockets’ website, by calling 419.530.GOLD (4653), or by visiting the ticket office in Savage Arena. Only tickets purchased through the University will be in the Rocket section of Quicken Loans Arena.

Senior Kaayla McIntyre led the Rockets with 19 points in their first-round MAC Tournament win over Ball State Monday night in Savage Arena.

The Rockets built an early lead over Ball State (8-23) and then fought off a late Cardinal rally. Black nailed four of five shots for nine points in the first half as Toledo jumped out to a 21-8 first-quarter lead. UT pushed the lead up to 14 points in the second quarter before settling on a 33-23 margin at halftime.

Ball State hung around in the second half, before pulling to within two points, 59-57, with a little more than a minute remaining. Black scored seven points in the final minute to clinch the victory and help Toledo advance to the next round.

Toledo shot the ball well, hitting 25 of 54 (46.3 percent) from the field. The Rockets were out-rebounded, 35-31, but held the Cardinals to just 23 of 58 (39.7 percent) shooting.

Junior guard Mariella Santucci had a big night for the Rockets, scoring 12 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and handing out six assists while committing just two turnovers.

Toledo and Miami will meet Wednesday in the fourth and final game, which will take place 30 minutes following the third game, approximately 7 p.m.

The winner of the Toledo-Miami game will play in the semifinals Friday, March 15, at approximately 1:15 p.m. The championship game will be played Saturday, March 16, at 11 a.m. on the CBS Sports Network.

MAC Tournament tickets can be purchased online at the Toledo Rockets’ website, by calling 419.530.GOLD (4653) or by visiting the ticket office in Savage Arena. Only tickets purchased through the University will be in the Rocket section of Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

No. 6 seed Toledo (19-9) will open the 2019 Mid-American Conference Tournament Monday, March 11, with a first-round contest against No. 11 seed Ball State (8-22).

The opening tip from Savage Arena is slated for 7 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN-Plus.

Sophomore Nakiah Black averaged a team-high 16.5 points in two games vs. Ball State during the regular season.

Toledo finished the 2018-19 conference campaign second in the West Division standings, while BSU placed sixth.

The division rivals have squared off on five occasions in the post-season tourney, with Toledo holding a 5-0 record. Most recently, Toledo registered a 67-56 neutral-court triumph in the quarterfinals of the 2010 MAC Tournament in Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland (March 10).

The Rockets swept the regular-season series against the Cardinals, claiming a 65-58 home victory (Jan. 5) and a 63-62 road triumph (Feb. 23).

Toledo leads the all-time series, 56-25, and has won four of the last five meetings against its division rival. The Rockets also hold a 29-9 advantage in games played in Savage Arena.

Toledo, which is 11-3 at home this year, is coming off a 78-45 road setback at MAC regular-season champion Central Michigan (24-6) Saturday to snap its season-tying best four-game winning streak.

The Rockets trailed the Chippewas by only six points at the intermission, 33-27, but they were outscored 45-18 in the second half.

Toledo continues to be fueled offensively by the quartet of McIntyre, Black, senior Mikaela Boyd and Santucci, who are averaging 16.3, 10.5, 9.7 and 9.3 points per game, respectively. This quartet accounts for 69.4 percent (1,317 of 1,898) of Toledo’s scoring.

The Rockets will battle a Ball State squad that has dropped 11 of its last 12 games. Most recently, the Cardinals suffered a 67-57 home loss vs. Eastern Michigan (13-16) Saturday.

The Cardinals were outscored 50-31 by the Eagles after the intermission to lose their home finale. Maliah Howard-Bass led BSU with 18 points, followed by Thelma Dis Agustsdottir with 12. Leading scorer Oshlynn Brown was limited to four points, but the All-MAC candidate finished with a game-high 14 boards.

BSU, which is 2-13 away from home, features three players scoring in double figures led by Brown’s 12.7 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game, 0.8 blocks per game and 1.2 steals per game.

The winner of Monday’s contest will meet No. 3 seed Miami (22-7) in the quarterfinals Wednesday, March 13, at approximately 7:30 p.m. in Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

MAC Tournament tickets can be purchased online at the Toledo Rockets’ website, by calling 419.530.GOLD (4653) or by visiting the ticket office in Savage Arena.

Toledo wrapped up its regular season with a 78-45 setback at Central Michigan Saturday in McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant.

With the loss, the Rockets fall to 19-10 overall, 11-7 in the Mid-American Conference.

Sophomore Tanaya Beacham scored six points and pulled down four rebounds at Central Michigan Saturday.

Toledo will be the No. 6 seed in the MAC Tournament and host No. 11 seed Ball State (8-22, 3-15 MAC) in the first round Monday, March 11, at 7 p.m. in Savage Arena.

The opening-round contest between UT and BSU will be shown on ESPN-Plus.

At Central Michigan, senior Kaayla McIntyre paced Toledo with eight points, followed closely by junior Mariella Santucci with seven. The trifecta of senior Sarah St-Fort, sophomore Tanaya Beacham and sophomore Nakiah Black added seven points each. McIntyre was held to less than 10 points for the first time in the last 42 games.

As a team, the Rockets shot 32.2 percent (19 of 59) from the field, including 36.4 percent (4 of 11) from three-point land, and 60.0 percent (3 of 5) from the free-throw line.

The Rockets trailed by only six points, 33-27, at the intermission, before the Chippewas outscored the visitors 45-18 in the second half to secure the outright MAC regular-season title.

“I was really proud of our effort in the second period,” Toledo Head Coach Tricia Cullop said. “I thought we were going to make a game of it. Unfortunately for us, that was not the case. We just didn’t have an answer for them in the second half.”

Cullop and the Rockets will prepare to meet Ball State for the third time this year and 82nd time overall. The Rockets swept the regular-season series against the Cardinals, claiming a 65-58 home victory (Jan. 5) and a 63-62 road triumph (Feb. 23).

Toledo leads the all-time series, 56-25, and has won four of the last five meetings against its division foe. The Rockets also hold a 29-9 advantage in games played in Savage Arena.

The division rivals also have squared off on five occasions in the post-season tourney, with Toledo holding a 5-0 record. Most recently, UT registered a 67-56 neutral-court triumph in the quarterfinals of the 2010 MAC Tournament in Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

MAC Tournament tickets can be purchased online at the Toledo Rockets’ website, by calling 419.530.GOLD (4653) or by visiting the ticket office in Savage Arena.

Toledo sent out seniors Chris Darrington, Nate Navigato and Jaelan Sanford with a 64-58 victory over Eastern Michigan on Friday night to earn the No. 2 seed in the 2019 Mid-American Conference Tournament.

The victory gave the Rockets their 25th victory of the season, the second most in program history and two shy of the school record set by the 2013-14 squad.

Toledo (25-6, 13-5 MAC) won the MAC’s West Division by three games over Central Michigan and will open play in next week’s MAC Tournament Thursday, March 14, against the winner of No. 7 Northern Illinois and No. 10 Ohio. The Huskies will host the Bobcats in DeKalb, Ill., in a first-round matchup Monday, March 11.

The Rockets utilized a balanced attack to defeat the Eagles with Sanford and sophomore Spencer Littleson leading the way with 14 points apiece. Sophomore Marreon Jackson tallied 13 points, while Navigato added 10.

The key to the Rockets’ victory was their perimeter shooting. After opening the contest by missing its first seven three-point attempts, Toledo finished with a 46.4 three-point field goal percentage (13 of 28) against the Eagles’ 2-3 zone defense. EMU knocked down only 2 of 14 attempts from behind the arc.

Both teams posted similar shooting marks from the field and the free-throw line. UT shot 42.2 percent from the field and hit 13 of 16 free throws, while EMU notched a 42.3 field goal percentage and converted 12 of 16 free throws.

MAC Tournament tickets can be purchased online at the Toledo Rockets’ website, by calling 419.530.GOLD (4653) or by visiting the ticket office in Savage Arena. Only tickets purchased through the University will be in the Rocket section of Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

Rocket fans can support the Toledo men’s and women’s basketball programs in next week’s Mid-American Conference Tournament by purchasing tickets through the University Athletic Ticket Office.

The MAC Tournament will open with first-round games at campus sites Monday, March 11, and continue in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena with the women’s quarterfinals Wednesday, March 13. The men’s quarterfinals start Thursday, March 14. Both sets of semifinals are on Friday, March 15, with the finals Saturday, March 16.

The top four seeded teams for both the men’s and women’s tournaments receive byes into the quarterfinals. The Rocket men’s team currently holds the No. 2 seed in this year’s tournament and has clinched a first-round bye. The UT women will be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the tournament and have one game remaining in the regular season. The women will host a first-round game in Savage Arena Monday, March 11, at 7 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online at the Toledo Rockets’ website, by calling 419.530.GOLD (4653) or by visiting the ticket office in Savage Arena. Only tickets purchased through the University will be in the Rocket section of Quicken Loans Arena.

The UT Alumni Office will host a pregame party before every men’s and women’s game in Cleveland. All pre-game parties will begin two hours prior to tipoff of the Rockets’ game(s) and will be held at Harry Buffalo, 2120 East 4th St. across the street from Quicken Loans Arena.

MAC Tournament ticket pricing

Men’s seats — all seats are reserved

Pricing through the University Ticket Office/Toledo will call table at Quicken Loans Arena:

• At the Toledo will call table at Quicken Loans Arena (based on availability).

$5 — UToledo students

Limited tickets for UToledo students may be purchased with cash only at the will call table at Quicken Loans Arena on game day.

UT students must present a valid Rocket ID; one ticket per UToledo student ID.

All ticket orders will be in the Toledo will call in Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena on game day. Toledo will call is located at the southeast Cavs media entrance, located across from the east parking garage. Remember to bring a photo ID when picking up tickets.

Toledo secured its second straight Mid-American Conference West Division title Tuesday evening with a dominating 76-57 triumph over Western Michigan in Savage Arena.

The win gave the Rockets their 24th victory of the season, tied for second most in school history, and three shy of the school record.

Toledo is tied with Bowling Green for the second best conference record at 12-5. The Rockets currently possess the No. 2 seed in next week’s Mid-American Conference Tournament due to their 78-71 win over the Falcons Feb. 9.

Willie Jackson also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to register a double-double and help the Rockets to a 35-28 advantage on the boards. Freshman AJ Edu blocked a season-high six shots, the most by a Rocket since Allen Pinson swatted away seven at Duke Dec. 12, 2004.

Senior Pinyada Kuvanun captured the third tournament title of her collegiate career Tuesday to lead the Toledo women’s golf team to its second straight title with an 11-stroke victory in the Battle at Boulder Creek in Boulder City, Nev.

The Rockets posted a 13-shot triumph in last year’s event at the par-72, 6,252-yard Boulder Creek Golf Club.

Toledo won its second straight tournament this year; the team posted for a photo with the trophy at the Battle at Boulder Creek in Boulder City, Nev.

“We started with a bit more energy and purpose today,” Head Coach Jenny Coluccio said. “There was a little bit of struggle for us midway through our round, but we came back and finished strong. Our team didn’t let anything get them down, and sticking to their process paid off in the end.”